Stripping, etc., equipment of textile manufacturing plants



Dec. 28', 1926. 1,611,971

F. H. WHITE STRIPPING; ETC, EQUIPMENT OF TEXTILE MANUFACTURING PLANTS Filed March 12, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 28 1926. 1,611,971.

F. H. WHITE STR'IPPING, ETC, EQUIPMENT OF TEXTILE MANUFACTURING PLANTS Filed March 12, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet -2 152%) E //Z I 75 d ra lzzvflnifor 40 lgr ak fliiomggg Dec. 28, 1926. 1',61 1 ,971

F H. WHITE 7 STRIPPING", ETC, EQUIPMENT 0F TEXTILE MANUFACTURING PLANTS Filed March 12, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I S 2 .0. Q

R RI 2' i E E Q unnul G l Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

warren FRED n. EVH-ITE, or CHARLOTTE, NORTH cARoLrnA.

Application filed March 12. 1826. Serial No. 94,171.

Heretofore in many cases a textile manufacturing plant has been furnished with a card-stripping equipment including a piping system through which the strippings are transported pneumatically, and a receiver in conjunction with such system into which the strippings are carried by the air flowing through the piping system, and within which the fibrous material is retained and collected.

The equipment aforesaid has great practical merit by reason of the saving of labor in stripping, and of the efliciency with which the strippings are taken care of as the stripping operation proceeds, as well as of the convenience with which they are transported to a place where they may be collectively taken care of. As constituted prior to the present invention, however, the said equipment has the drawback that the strippings from all of the carding engines which are served by t-he'equipment' are received within one and the said receiver. Consequently, in practice, the strippings from various card- Ling engines become mixed in the one receiver, unless the latter is emptied of its contentsasoften as maybe required in order .to avoid such mixing. This entails various disadvantages and some inconvenience. For example, in some mills the carding engines ofamill are-employed in groups for carding stocks of dili'erent colors. grades, or kindsv Allof the difi'erentgroups being served by the same pneumatic system, it follows that ifnt-he latter, heretofore, delivers the strippings or" all of the different sorts of stock to a single receiver, and it strippings of different sorts, for example strippings of different grades or colors, are delivered together into such receiver, it frequently will be the case that the mixing which results detracts from the quality and value of the contents of the receiver, or from its availability for particular :uses, or necessitates special aftentreatment. .If, in order-toavoid mixing, the receiver'is cleaned out afterthe last carding engine of the group operating upon one sort of stock has been stripped, before beginning to strip .the first carding engine of a group operating upon a different sort, the cleaning-out entails more or .less interruption and delay between the stripping of one group andthat-ofthe next, andsome times .more "or less inconvenience, especially if the same sort of stock is beingoperated :upon byscattered groups of carding'engines.

The present invention obviates these and other disadvantages of equipment having a single receive-r. In addition, it serves new and important practical purposes, whereby it materially extends the range of usefulness of the equipment in which it is incorporated. One important result attained by the invention is that of providing in convenient and advantageous manner for keeping card strippings of different sorts of stock distinct; that is to say, avoiding the mixing together of strippings of different colors, grades, and kinds of stock. Another, is that of rendering it unnecessary, after having finished stripping the carding engines which are employed in the carding of one sort of stock, to delay until after the strippings fromsuch carding engines have been removed irom the receiver in which they were collected,lbefore beginning to stripa group of carding 'en-- gines employed .in theicarding of another sort of stock, as has been necessary in the case of the single receiver systems heretofore in use. Another importantiresult attained by the invention is that, byireason of enabling dilferent sorts of materials passed through the pneumatic piping system to be segregated and disposed of separately, the invention renders it practicable to employ a pneumatic card-stripping system either for its primary purpose of cardsstripping, or for taking up various kinds of wastes or byproducts, or for cleaning flyings, etc., from machinery and floors, with facility in keeping the different kinds or grades ot pneu-' matically transported material separate and distinct, and without the value and quality of the higher grades of material being affected injuriously through-admixture of inferior grades or dlrt therewith.

The main phase of the inventionprovides.

in combination with the pneumatic system of piping aforesaid, serving as a conduit through which strippings, etc., from a pin rality of machines are transported by :flow of air, a plurality of receivers, means for reducing air-pressure to induce flow of air through the piping, and means adjacent the raid receivers for selectively and interchangeably establishing and disestablishing flowfrom the said pneumatic piping system into either of the said receivers, at will. This combination enables admixture of the transported material to .be avoided, by reason of enabling either of the receivers to be made the working receiver at will, and thereby enabling the material .i-o be collected in whichever receiver it is desired should contain it. The invention facilitates the attainment of the desired results in this respect by reason of containing provision for converting a reserve receiver into the W01 ing receiver, and discontinuing the flow of strippings or the like into the receiver which previously was the working one, without the inconvenience of cleaning out a working receiver because of the change in order to enable it to be continued in use'tollowing the change, and without the delay incident to the work of cleaning out. The invention includes, further, combinations and features which are pointed out in the claims at the close of this specification.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which latten- Fig. 1 is a view showing the main elements of such embodiment in side elevation, with flooring and some piping in vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a view thereof looking from the left in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, with some parts and flooring omitted.

Fig. 4- is a detail view, on a larger scale, showing in vertical section the mouth-end f of one of the intake-pipes connected with the receivers to which reference is made hereinafter, and the closure for said mouth-end, with the said closure sealed upon the mouth and thereby sealing the latter.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the parts that are shown in Fig. l, with small portions broken away- Fig. 6 is a view partly in side elevation and partly sectional showin the parts of Figs. 4 and 5, with the closure-device thrown back, and withthe addit on of a coupling piece appliedto the mouth of the intake, and of a portion of a section of armored flexible pipingcombined with said coupling-piece.

Having reference to the drawings Figs. 1, 2 and 3 indicate in dotted lines machines in connection with which strip ping or cleanin o iierations are to be perlorined, which machines i'naybe conceived to he carding engines, although in various cases in practice the principles of the invention are applied in connection with other machines and are utilized for other or additional purposes. Certain portions of the piping ot' pneumatic systen'r are indicated at 1, 1 Such piping in ractice is disposed in convenient relations with respect to the machines it serves, and is connected up with attachments, appliances, etc., for stripping, cleaning, etc, according to thework to be V )ertormed throughout the reouired field of operation. Ordinarily a system of this takes care of a large number of machines. At 2, 2, Figs. 1, 2, 3. are partly represented intake connections in the shape of flexible according to the numb-er of sorts of material transported and required to be segregated.

The piping and these intakeconneo Seven receivers having connections, etc,

such as those which are shown inthe drawings, will enable any number of difiereni sorts of fibrous material. up to seven to be segregated through being collected separately in the respective receivers, astor example strippings of seven different colors, or strippings of a smaller number of colors, and waste, etc., of several different sorts.

The provisions for producing a flow of air 7 and material throu h the 1 )m 1 and into the selected receiver may vary in practice from what is shown in the drawings, in carrying the broader phases of the invention into effect. It is to be understood, however, that what is shown includes a number of the more specific features of the invention which are set forth in the claims. The drawings show, as a portion of the said provisions, means for reducing air-pressure to induce flow of air through the piping, such means constituted by a pump 11, the said pump having convenient connections between it and the receivers 7, 7, 6, for enabling air to be withdrawn by the pump from the collecting chambers of the receivers and thereby inducing flow of air and material, such as strippings, through piping 1 when the latter is connected up with one of the receivers. Such connections between the receivers and the pump in this instance comprise elbows 48, 48, Fig. 2, combined with the domes 4:3, etS, ol receivers 7, 7, short pipe-sections 82, engaged with said elbbws, a trunk-pipe 8 with which the receivers 7, 7, are connected in pairs by means of the said elbows and shortpipe-sections, an elbow 26 combined with the dome 22 of receivers 6, short pipesection 81 engaged with said elbow, a pipe 9 that is engaged at its upper end with pipes 8, 81, and at i s lower end is in connnunication by an elbow 29 with a filter-chamber 6 at the base of receiver 6, and a pipe 10 communicating at one end thereof with the space at the interior of a filter 42 within the said fil er-chamber and at the other end thereof ith the pump. As Will be apparent, when the pump 11 is in operation it will reduce the air-pressure within the connections and the receivers and filter-chamber by exhausting the air therefrom. v

The means for selectively establishing working communication between the piping 1 and eitherof the receivers as maybe neces sary may be varied, without exceeding the scope of the invention. In the illustrated embodiment of the principles of the invention each otthe receivers has associated therewith an intake-pipe 5 having a mouth at. The intake-pipes 5, 5, are arranged with their months in a group the members of the group being so disposed that the mouth l of any oneof-the intake-pipes ma be reached and engaged by a'coupling-piece 12, Figs. '1, Q and 6, on the free end of a section 3 of flexible pipe in connection with a pipe-section 1 with which the various branches of the piping are iii-communication. The-point iii at whiclrth'e "flexible connectingeection is located inconnectlon 'with the piping system may be regarded as a distributing point which in practicaleifect is central as regards the different receivers. In Fig. 1 the flexible connectmg-sectronBas disconnected from all the intakes. It mayat will :be connected as in Fig. 6 with any one of themonths 41, thereby p'laeing th'e piping -1 incommumcation with the corresponding receiver. By disconnection of the flexible connectingsystern from such mouth and reconnection with another month. communication between the piping;- 1 andthesaid receiver may be disestablished and working" communication between the said pipingend the receiver corresponding with the latter mouth may be established.

it will be understood that the collecting chambers of the various receivers, and the filter-chamber of receiver 6. are air-tight apart from their relations with the. intakepipes 5. and pig. .9, respectivelv, so that when internal air-pressure therein-is lowcred or reduced. there is an effective tendency to flew of air into the receivers and lilter-clunnl'zer "through the respective pipes. Provision is made ifor stopping the flow. of air thronch the idle receirers by means of valves. ie'se may be located at pointssuitable for the pur ose between the'respe'etive receivers and the pump. or may be applied in conne tion with the intake-pipes 5, 5. etc, or in both relations. as may be deemed .adrisal the illustrated embodiment, .the valves'are applied at themouthsd, 1,:ot' the said intake-pipes. In this instance, the said mouths are located. for convenience, at the ext eme ends of the intake-pipes, as indi cated best in Figs. 1, 5 and 6, and each of the valves for such month is constituted by a cover 15 'providedwith packing 18 to fit against the rim of the corresponding month. Each valve isloosely hinged by means of a the ring-and which-is held'ni pl-aceby closely against the seat of the intake-mouth by the external at nosph'eric pressure. For the convenient manipulation of the valves, each cover is furnished with a projecting handle 151 of sufficient length-do afford eitective leverage to overcome-external at mospheric pressure in separating the-valve from its seat around the mouth of the intrire-pipe. The packing 18 is held to the under side otthe cover 15 by means of a disk 17 which is secured to the cover by a central bolt 16. The disk-l'? has a beveled edge to facilitate the entrance of the disk into the intake-pipe mouth 4, which it fits somewhatclosely, and in the present instance, inorder' "to assist in centering the packing" 18,-such packing is in the form of '2. annulus which receives within its -central opening; a central raised boss on the mountingi-s made a loose one ithrongh verticaflgelongation of "the 'hole 1. 1:1 ai mdll otring 13) occupied .by the hinge-pin 14.

The coupling-member 12st the lower end of flexible connecting-pipe 3 is tubular and its engaging portion its over the mouth-end ot the intake-pipette which it is applied. To prevent leakage 01' air inward between said engaging portion and said mouth-end, packing 19 isapplied to the upper side of ring; 13, aforesaid. The said packing is in this instance held in place uponthe ring by means or, a metal ferrule '20 that surrounds means of the clampingserews 132, 1353. aforesaid, which the ringis held in fixed position upon the intake-pipe mouth-end. The c0upling-lnember pushed :home upon the mouth-end ot tl1e;intake-pipe until-the lower edge of said member contacts withpacking 19. i

The upper end of flexibleconnecting-pipe is shown in Figpti as provided with a screw-threaded coupling-sleeve 85 by means I of which: to connect said end withthe portion 1 of the piping 1.

Thezpu'mp 11 when at work reduces the air-pressure throughout the ,Wl10l6 system of receivers and their associated connections. In the case of those receivers having their intake-mouths 4, 4, closed by means of their valves 15, no fiow of air through such receivers takes place. In the case, however, of that receiver, which for the time being has its intake-mouth connected by means of the flexible pipe 3 with the system of piping 1, flow of air takes place through the piping 1 to and through the said receiver, depositing in the latter the coarser elements of its load of transported material, and from such receiver the air passes .through the filterchamber and filter to the pump 11, leaving the fine elements of said material, such as dust, behind within the filter. A, single filter-chamber and filter are all that is required in the case of the illustrated equipment, inasmuch as the described connections place the collecting chambers of all of the receivers in communication with the filterchamber, and only one collecting chamber is in use at a time. Such filter-chamber and filter are for convenience and economy of construction built in, so to speak, with receiver 6, as portions thereof 'adjunctive to the collecting chamber of the said receiver.

The capacity of the coupling-piece 12 to be shifted readily from the mouth of one intake-pipe to that of another renders it possible to switch the flow ofair and its burden of strippings or the like easily and instantly from one receiver to another.

In operation, for instance in connection with a number of carding engines, the individual receivers 7,7, 6, in every instance may be utilized to receive only one particular color (or other sort) of strippings or the like passing through the piping system 1, or if desired the receiver 6 may be utilized to receive strippings from all the carding engines when it is not desired to segregate strippings from the several machines. Any one of the receivers 7 may beutilized for this latter purpose if circumstances render it convenient to thus utilizeit.

What is claimed as the invention is l. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination, a pneumatic piping system through which strippings, etc., from a plurality of machines are transported by flow of air, a plurality of receivers, pressure reducing means, and

.means adjacent the said receivers for selec 'tively and interchangeably establishing working communication between the terminal ortions of the said pneumatic piping system and the pressure reducing means through either of said receivers, at will.

2. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination, a pneumatic piping system through which strippings, etc., from a plurality of machines are transported b flow of air, a plurality of receivers, means or reducing air-pressure to induce flow of air through the piping, and means adjacent the receivers for selectively and interchangeably establishing working communication between the terminal portion of the said pneumatic piping system and either of said receivers, at will.

3. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination, a pneumatic piping system, a plurality of receivers, means adjacent the said receivers for selectively and interchangeably establishing working communication between the terminal portion of such piping system and either of said receivers as required, and a single pressure-reducing means connected with said receivers collectively, whereby through the selected receiver pressure may be reduced in the piping system with resulting flow'of air through the said system and delivery of airtransported material within such receiver.

4;. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination, a pneumatic piping system through which strippings, etc., are transported by flow of air, a plurality of receivers, means for reducing air-pressure within the receivers, and means adjacent the receivers for selectively and interchangeably establishing working communication between the terminal portion out-the said pneumatic piping system and either of said receivers at will.

5. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination, a pneumatic piping system through which strippings, etc., from a plurality of machines are transported by flow of air, a plurality of receivers, means forreducing air: pressure to induce flow of air through the piping, and means adjacent the receivers for selectively and interchangeably establishing and disestablishing flow from the said pneumatic piping system into either of the said receivers, at will.

6. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination,

a pneumatic conduit through which strippings, etc., from a plurality of machines are transported by flow of air, a series of airtight receivers means for exhausting the air from the said receivers, and means adjacent the receivers for selectively placing the said pneumatic conduit in interchange able communication with the respective receivers.

7. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination, a pneumatic conduit through which strippings,

etc., are transported by flow of air, a series of air-tight receivers, means "for exhausting air from the interior of said receivers, intakes for the respective receivers, and

means for selectively placing the conduit in.

connection with, the respective intakes.

8. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination,

a pneumatic conduit through which strippings, etc., are transported. by flow of air, a series of receivers, a filter, intakes for the respective receivers, means for selectively placing the conduit in connection With the respective intakes, and means for exhausting air from the working receiver and through the filter. V

9. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the. like, equipment comprising, in combination, a pneumatic conduit through Which strippings, etc., are transported by flow of air, a series of air-tight receivers, intakes for the respective receivers having air-tight closure means operable to open and close said intakes, and means for selectively placing the said pneumatic conduit in interchangeable communication with the respective intakes.

LO. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination, a pneumatic conduit through which strippings, etc., are transported by flow of air, a series of air-tight receivers, means for exhausting air from the said receivers, intakes for the respective receivers, and a flex-V ible connection joined to the pneumatic conduit and adapted to be connected to the intakes of the respective receivers, interchangeably. 1

11. A pneumatic card-stripping, or the like, equipment comprising, in combination,

a pneumatic conduit through which strippings, etc., are transported by flow of air,

a series of receivers, each having a collecting chamber and one thereof having in addition a filter-chamber and hlter, means for selectively placmg the said pneumatic conduit in interchangeable communication with a series of air-tight receivers, means for-e20,

hausting air from the said receivers, intakes for the respective receivers having closure devices which are held to their seats by ext-erial air-pressure, and are operable at will to open and close'said intakes, and a coup-' ling-member for selectively placing the said pneumatic conduit in interchangeable com-v munication With the respective intakes.

FRED H. WHITE. 

